Forbidden Love
by Ghost Formerly Known As Fred
Summary: Raven Roth is a ruthless vampire, showing no emotion and doing what she must to get by. But what happens when the unsuspecting happens and she breaks her societies' biggest rule: falling in love with a human. RaexRich AU Rating may change
1. Prologue

Hi everyone. This could techinically be considered my first chapter story. I kind of had doubts about posting this, but then I was like, what the heck, minus well just put it up, so ta-dah? I think. Anywho, I hope you like my story. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own Teen Titans. (tear tear)

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In my society, there are two main rules that should never be broken: never reveal the vampire society to outsiders and never fall in love with a human.

In most vampire books and movies (a bunch of garbage in my eyes might I add), the falling in love with humans always seems to be the central idea in them all and never seems to be taken seriously. But in my world, that is the biggest rule that _no one_ should ever break. But in all societies, the most crucial rule always seems to be broken.

Anyways, when you break the first rule, you get immediate death, in so many ways that I won't even bother to count them or even name them. There are no questions asked, no second thoughts. You're dead and that's the end of that conversation.

But when you break the second rule, it feels as if your entire world is dying before your very eyes. The punishment for breaking that rule comes in a package of two that goes as follows:

1) The council likes to torture the vampire's human lover. They torture them for hours while they make the vampire watch. The vampires call out to the council, try to make them stop, but they just won't listen. Sometimes the vampires tend to ask if they could relieve the pain, either by killing their lovers themselves or turning them. Again, ignored. The council likes to wait until they get bored (which never happens) or the human begs for the escape of death. Which in itself is slow and painful.

2) Then the council turns their judgment on the poor misfortunate sap. They give that vampire a far worse punishment. Instead of killing them slowly or torturing them, the council lets them live. Those vampires live with seeing their lover's death, feeling the guilt of knowing that if they never fell in love with a vampire then they would still be alive. The council will only give them the sweet relief of death until the vampire has lost their mind and begged for it. That, at least, is quick.

I know this because I have seen these punishments in person. I also find myself the unfortunate person who kills the vampire in the end.

I was raised to abide by those very rules, live my life by them. I have grown up being told to enforce those very laws. I never seemed to understand the motivation behind why someone would risk their life to love a human, that is, until I experienced it myself.

My name is Raven Roth and this is my story how one human brought me to life and killed me.

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So there it goes. Please Review! I'll be really happy and might even jump up and down in my chair.

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Preview:

I watched as Rouge slowly stuck the blade through the poor girl's chest, narrowly missing her heart. The girl let out a gut wrenching scream, thrashing about.

Mike thrashed against his own restraints, trying to break trhough, to get to her side.

"Stop! Please stop!"

Rouge gave him a happy look and then quickly pulled the blade out. Moments later she inserted the blade in the girl's body once more, this time through her gut.

"NO! Sarah!"

Sarah looked up at Rouge, tears and blood streaming down her face, and let out the long suspected words, "Kill me. Please kill me."

Mike thrashed once more against his restrainsts, but then fell back. He watched Rouge smiled her wicked smile and plunged the blade through the girl's heart. Nothing to vital of course. Somewhere that we all knew would take several painful minutes to kill her.

I watched as Mike was released from his restraints and immediately ran over to his lover. He pulled the blade out and watched the life drain from her face.

Only one word came to mind as I watched the scene befold before me. _Pathetic._


	2. Torture Session

Ok. Here goes the second chapter of this story. I hope you enjoy it and it lived up to your expectations.

_Now for the reviews:_

_**morphious444**__**: **_Thanks for the review. Really appreciate you taking your time to review. On to the review: I'm not sure if you mean that it's harsh but still good or if it's harsh but bad. So if you could clarify that for because things like that make me jittery (like not being able to find the name of a character that's like creeping in the back of your mind but won't come forward so you could claim it). Sorry if I seem a little grrr, but yea, that's just me.

_**Xaphrin:**_ Truthfully I was kind of giddy when I saw your review because I think you're a good writer and I like your stories. So I was like holy butterknut, she reviewed me? On to your two cents: the only reason that I wrote it like that was cause I really wasn't sure how to start it and sometimes when I write I usually don't get the main point across until like way later on so I just wanted to make it clear. And…I can assure you that it won't be like "Underworld" where she wears the vinyl type stuff and she carries around a gun. I'm trying to make it old fashioned.

_**Mr Makulu:**_ Thanks for the review. And I'm also looking forward to what I can pull out of the unused section of my brain for this story.

_**Disclaimer:**_ Don't own Teen Titans. (Waaaahhhh!)

So anyways, on to the story…

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A slow breath escaped my mouth as I stood in front of the closed door.

Yet another torture. Yet another idiotic vampire who can't seem to keep his emotions in check.

Won't they ever learn?

A scream resonated from the room in front of me and echoed down the hall. This time it was a sigh that escaped my mouth. So they already started. Let's just get this over with.

I opened the door soundlessly and walked over to the edge of the balcony.

My eyes immediately narrowed in on Mike's chained body and that of his lover's. Who was currently being staked. Mike called out in anguish, straining against his restraints.

Disgusting.

Why would someone risk their life for a cheap and short romance? Especially with something as low as a human?

Another scream resonated throughout the room as the human-What was her name again?-had a blade rammed into her leg.

The intoxicating aroma of blood filled my nostrils, making my stomach yearn for the sweet liquid. Why didn't I feed before coming here?

At that moment Rouge looked up at me with a devilish smirk. I nodded at her unspoken greeting.

Rouge looked back down at her victim as she once again replaced the blade into the human's-Sarah I think-body, this time making it go through her arm. I watched as Mike once more thrashed against his restraints. "Rouge, stop!" Rouge turned to glare at him before turning her undivided attention to the human.

I watched disgusted as Rouge whispered in her ear. "I want to hear you beg for it. Then, just maybe, I might kill you."

I rolled my eyes at her antics. It's not like we can't hear her. Why does she always have to be so dramatic?

"Rouge, stop this!"

Apparently I wasn't the only one who heard her little taunt. I watched bored as Rouge stuck the blade in and out of the human's body. Hurry the hell up Rouge.

"Having fun?"

The question came from my side, from the one person that I most definitely did not want to see right now. In the slightest bit.

His presence enveloped me in a hug as he walked closer to me and looked over the balcony.

"How long do you think she'll last?"

A glare automatically came to my face and the next words came out with a lot more venom than I originally intended, "Go away Xavier."

Xavier quirked an eyebrow at me before bursting into a fit of laughter. The scream that followed seemed to mesh well with his psychotic laugh.

"Suit yourself Raven. But you should really feed before your stomach decides to turn itself over in hunger."

With that said, the annoyance gave me a smirk, walking away slowly, placing his hands in the pockets of his dress pants.

I turned back to the torture just in time to see Rouge slowly stick the blade through the girl's chest, narrowly missing her heart. The girl let out a gut wrenching scream, thrashing about. Mike thrashed against his own restraints, trying to break through to get to her side.

"Stop! Please stop!"

Rouge gave him a happy look and then quickly pulled the blade out. Moments later she inserted the blade in the girl's body, this time through her gut.

"NO! Sarah!"

Sarah looked up at Rouge, tears and blood streaming down her face, and let out the long awaited words, "Kill me. Please kill me."

About time.

"Please Sarah, don't say that!"

Mike thrashed around once more, but then fell back. He watched helpless as Rouge smiled her wicked smile and plunged the blade through the girl's heart. Through nothing that would kill her instantaneously of course.

Somewhere that we all knew would take several pain filled minutes to kill her. Where would be the fun in that.

Mike was released from his restraints and without a second thought, he rushed over to his slowly dying lover. He pulled the blade out and watched the life drain from her face.

Only one word came to mind as I watched the scene unravel before me. Pathetic.

Even from here I could see the light slowly leave Sarah's eyes, being replaced by the glaze of death. Mike shook her body as if trying to stop the bleeding like that.

"Please Sarah, don't die. I'm so sorry."

Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

With each passing second her heart beats seemed to diminish and the blood slowly stopped running through her veins.

Sarah looked up at Mike and granted him one final smile. As her heart stopped it's beating, she whispered one last thing with her final breath.

"I love you Mike."

As soon as those words left her mouth, I saw a sight I never thought I would see. Tears rolled down pale cheeks. I watched as Sarah fell limp in Mike's arms, never to breathe another breath. Mike let out a sound between a sob and a hiccup and cradled the body closer to himself.

My heart gave a lurch at the sight. Why must it always end like this? Why can't I find some- That specific train of thought was quickly extinguished and thrown down the deepest, darkest ditch in my head.

I composed myself once more and walked down to Rouge. Rouge turned to me and spoke in her foreign accent.

"Well then Raven, I see you finally decided to join us."

I calmly stared back at her, fully knowing that she was only trying to play with me like she did with the others.

"I see you took your sweet time with this one."

Rouge gave me a not so innocent smile and stated happily, "Well, you know dear, I live for the pleasure I get when I torture someone. I just love hearing the painful screams come from them. Don't you?"

A grimace came to my face, but I pointedly chose to ignore her. This woman is so twisted in the head. I'm surprised she hasn't killed one of her many followers.

"Please just leave us alone."

I looked over and watched as Xavier and Manny tried to separate Mike from the body. I took a step forward and watched as everyone froze.

"Just leave him. He can take care of her body himself."

Rouge, Xavier, and Manny all looked at me, confused. I know I'm not the nicest vampire, but it's not like I can't understand compassion.

None of them seemed to move. I exposed my fangs and let out something that sounded like a growl. "Go. I'll watch over him."

The three vampires looked at each other before reluctantly walking out of the room. Before Xavier walked out of the room completely, he threw some words at me. "You better watch him closely Raven and follow the procedures. You break them and you know that he'll punish you. Wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty face of yours before I get a chance at it." With a final smirk he closed the doors.

Damn idiot. Who the hell does he think he is? I should really just rip his head off one day and be done with him. But knowing the weasel, he would find a way to come back and annoy me even more.

"God Sarah, I should have just left you alone. If I hadn't decided to talk to you then, you would probably still be alive. I'd be miserable and pretending to live a lie, but you'd be happy. Why did you have to die? Why couldn't I be strong enough to protect you?"

My thoughts were broken as I heard that raspy voice. He sounds so defeated. Could losing your human "pet" really do this to you?

"Nobody can go against the order. They will always find out. No matter how hard you try to hide it."

Mike looked up at me, the tears still falling. He let out a deep breath and spoke.

"Sometimes the time spent with that special person is worth the pain and suffering. Even if it was only for a little while."

I cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Even if it means losing the one person you cared most about?"

Mike gave me a defeated look and stated hesitantly, "Yes, even if it means losing the one person that you care most about in the world."

A scuffing sound came out of my throat. "That's just plain idiotic."

Mike stood up and walked toward the doors, Sarah's body cradled to his chest. He opened the doors slightly. As he walked through, he stated one last thing.

"Trust me Raven, you will find someone that you will care for deeply and never want to be separated from. You will try to stay away from them, but no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to fight it. And when the time comes for the order to torture them, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. And trust me Raven, you will hurt. A lot."

The doors closed and I was left with his words. That's utter bullshit. I will always be alone. I will never be in pain if I don't have someone.

As walked out of the room, one last thing entered my mind.

I will not fall in love with anyone. Much less a human.

Later on that night...

I walked out of the woods and into the heart of the city. I wrapped the bonnet on my head and pulled the shawl over my shoulders.

I slowly walked down the street, determined to get to my house. Determined to not let Mike's words bother me. Determined to stay away from humans as much as possible. Determined to not fall in love. Determined to find my next meal.

Despite the late hour, many humans, mainly men, walked all around me. Most of them seemed to stop and follow me with their eyes. A few of them took a couple brave steps toward me before shaking some sense into themselves and walking away. One didn't seem to take the example of the others and decided to follow me.

A smirk came onto my face as I heard the footsteps behind me. Here comes my next meal. Hmm…that was easier than I thought.

As I got closer to my home I heard the footsteps fall faster and the delicious blood pump faster through his body. Yes, just keep on being the idiot that you are and follow me.

Minutes before I reached my house, I walked down a deserted, moonlit alley. Moments later, the footsteps echoed against the walls. I pulled off my bonnet and turned to face my next meal.

Standing before me was a very handsome man that looked to be in his early twenties. He had scruffy brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, vibrant green eyes, and a handsome face. Underneath his shirt I could hear his heart rate pick up as he got a good look at me. He casually walked the rest of the way to me and stopped a foot in front of me.

He tipped his hat and stated in a deep voice, "Someone as pretty as yourself should not be alone. This town is very dangerous at night."

I gave him a fake smile and a polite curtsey. "Of course, I am quite aware of the danger, but that does not worry me."

The man before me gave me a polite smile and asked, "May I ask why you are not worried about the dangers this town has?"

My smile turned into a smirk as I took a step toward him. I guess something in my facial features seemed to frighten him because his smile dropped and as replaced by a look of horror. He turned around to run but was surprised to find me once more in front of him.

I reached out and grabbed his neck in an air-tight grip and slammed him into the wall. His hands clawed at mine, trying to break my grasp. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't letting go. I exposed his neck with my free hand and leaned in slightly.

"I'm not worried because I can take care of myself just fine."

When the final word left my mouth I let my fangs come out and I bit his neck without a second thought. He immediately tensed underneath me. Ignoring that, I felt satisfied as the liquid traveled down my throat, satisfying my thirst. As the endorphins from the bite settled in, I felt his body relax and his grip on my hand falter.

When my body was satisfied by my meal, I retracted my fangs and pulled away from him. Moments later the bite healed completely and his neck looked like before. Smooth and bite free. I let go of him and watched as his body fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. He looks so peaceful.

I licked my lips clean of the blood. I replaced the bonnet back on my head and walked out of the alley, leaving the guy alone. I walked over to my house and placed a hand on the door knob. As I closed the door behind me, one line ran through my mind.

You will fall in love with someone my sweet Raven and it will hurt. It will hurt a lot.

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There goes the second chapter. Hope it lived up to your expectations. Please review and tell me what you thought about it. I would really appreciate it. I will try to deliver the third chapter soon. But I can't make any promises. Especially now with college applications around the corner. Oh well wish me luck on that…or not.

~Fred


	3. This Life Is Not For Me

I am so sorry for the big delay. My computer fried and my parents didn't want to fix it so I had to wait four months. anyways you guys probably don't care so on the reviews.

_Reviews:_

**_Xaphrin:_** Well i'm glad that you get it. And thank you for like it! :)

_**RxRFannnnn:**_ Yea Raven being a vampire does make some kind of sense. Sorry but i make no promises. My story goes the way that it wants to go.

**_blue-wasabi:_** ookkkaaay! Glad you like the conversation.

_**TitanQueen:**_ Thank you. I try not to disappoint.

_**Disclaimer:**_ Don't own anything.

Well on to the story...

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As the first rays of sunlight enveloped the sky slowly outside of my window, I knew my day was finally going to start. With a sigh I placed my book on the table next to me and reluctantly got out of the armchair.

I grabbed my now cold cup of tea and made my way over to the kitchen slowly, dragging out the seconds. While dumping the tea down the drain, a noise caught my attention. A noise from inside my house.

My body tensed as if preparing for a fight. A glare automatically came to my face as my brain recognized the scents. Damn imbeciles. I followed the scent with my eyes to its origin, which led me to the dark hall connecting the kitchen to the sitting room.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent the mug flying through the air and into the darkness of the hall.

"Ow!"

I took several steps into the hall and found myself standing before a man. Even in the darkness of the hall, I could clearly make out the figure of the man. He is currently leaning over, rubbing his forehead where I presumed my now smashed mug hit him. Despite his face being obscured by his long white hair, I knew exactly who it was.

I crouched down slightly and grabbed his neck, slamming him against the wall. "Violent as ever I see," the man in my hand said with a smirk. My hold tightened and I watched pleased as he flinched.

"How many times do I have to tell you stop breaking into my house Rorek?"

Rorek smirked, or at least attempted to, and opened his mouth as if to reply. Of course I knew it was only a distraction.

I kicked behind me with quite a bit of force, instantly satisfied when my booted foot connected with flesh and bone. I'm even more satisfied as the sound of bones breaking filled my over sensitive ears.

I looked over and saw Malchior sprawled on the floor near the table, bleeding out of his mouth and holding onto his ribcage. Disgusted, I threw Rorek next to him. Both men looked at each other, giving the other dirty looks. Rorek quickly stood, dusting off imaginary dust, and took several steps away from his partner. Funny how they put two people who loathe each other on the same team. As Malchior healed in minutes, he stood quietly and dusted off his clothes as well.

Both men then looked at me as I calmly picked up my ruined mug. I dumped the remains into the trash bin while saying, "You owe me a mug." Rorek just laughed as if breaking my mug was nothing. "You shouldn't have thrown it at me." A kick to his legs was my only reply. Rorek went down to one knee before shooting right back up as if nothing happened.

"Rogue wants you," Malchior stated with a scowl as he watched our interaction. I glared over at him. "So you just had to break into my house to tell me that?" Both men shrugged, then scowled at their simultaneous actions.

As I walked out the kitchen and to the front door, Rorek and Malchior walked a foot behind me as if attached to me. Like dogs following their master. Or guards following their prisoner.

I grabbed my bonnet and busy myself with putting it on. "You should go without it. You look prettier," Malchior stated, a smirk clearly audible in his voice. A few curse words and a whack from my parasol quickly shuts him up and the smirk fall.

Walking into the sunlight with my shield, I heard one of the men, if not both, say, "You know you don't speak like women of this time."

I shrugged, waving the comment off with a twist of my hand and walked down the street, avoiding the eyes of every man who tried to catch mine. My arm was slipped through someone's slightly muscular arm and a familiar voice stated rather loudly, "Come dear, we best not be late to see your father." Inside I was _slightly _amused as I let Rorek lead me away.

As we walked out of town, it finally dawned on me that I no longer felt Malchior's. I looked back, not surprised in the least bit that he was gone. Guess he got tired of following me. My next thought: good riddance.

As the buildings of the city gave way to trees, the grip on my arm loosened. Once clear of all prying eyes, Rorek released me rather quickly. Apparently a little too quickly because I find losing my balance. Using my now closed parasol, I righted myself and glared at where I assumed Rorek was standing.

Only to find the spot empty.

I'll be damned if I don't get him back for that.

Following his example, I ran into the forest, dodging all the trees, rouge branches, and roots easily. The wind caressed my face, the scent of the trees and earth filling my nostrils. In minutes I found myself in the middle of the forest, a giant metal gate connected to a tall, thick steel wall encompassing the vampire's central headquarters before me. My eyes narrowed at the closed gate.

Impatience settled in. Screw this, I'm not waiting.

I walked over to the nearest tree and climbed up despite the dress.

"Miss Raven!" A cry pierced through my concentration, but was ignored as I recognized the voice as belonging to one of the guards.

It only then sunk in that this tree was a couple feet taller than the wall. Lucky me. Standing on the highest branch, I jumped the couple of feet to the wall. Once on the wall, I took a step and plummeted the 20 or so feet to the ground, bracing myself against the fall. My feet connected with the ground a little harder than I expected making me lose my balance and fall forward. The only thing that stopped me from falling face first into the dirt was my parasol. Good thing I brought it. Once more I righted myself.

Dusting off my dress, I looked at the humongous building I called "my prison." Looming before me was a gray 50 foot tall building that spread over a couple hundred acres of privately owned land. Surrounding the building all the way around was the steel wall, so smooth that it looked as if it was recently waxed.

I sighed, walking calmly to the doors. Just another day of being a prisoner. Shaking my head I slid into the building quietly, enjoying the luminescent lights overhead. I handed my parasol to one of the awaiting attendants.

"Nice performance back there."

That damn annoying voice again, which only meant one thing... My hands clenched on instinct but were released as I let out a deep breath. Like the voice earlier, I ignored it and, as if on automatic, I walked down the hallway to where I knew Rogue was: the torture chambers.

"Are you just going to leave without a hello?" I continued to ignore the voice. A breeze of air flew past my left cheek and I find Xavier standing in front of me. Following my earlier actions, I ignored him and walked past him, my head held high. When I was in front of the doors, a sigh left my mouth as screams sounded from the room.

"Another torture? Rogue must really be bored," I state disgusted. "It's not a torture. Rogue is just playing a game with the younger vampires." I shook my head in disbelief. They were all psychopaths.

As I opened the doors, the screaming stopped. One perfectly manicured eyebrow raise at the sight before me.

A female vampire in a blue dress and curly brown hair was leaning over a guy slumped next to a chair. Her mouth was currently attached to his neck, her hands on his shoulders. From the way her mouth was open, I assumed she had her fangs embedded in his neck. My assumption was proven correct when she pulled away from his neck, tearing it open and revealing fangs dripping with blood.

I closed my eyes as I watched the blood travel down the boy's neck and into his shirt.

"Haven't fed...have you?" Xavier asked, a smirk in his voice.

I opened my eyes in time to see the girl lick the blood off her lips slowly, enjoying the taste. The boy looked up at her as if asking for more. I cocked my head to the side. The boy looked to be in his early teens. As I examined the girl once more, I noticed that she seemed to be about his age. The boy's eyes were glazed over, the endorphins doing a really good job. The boy smiled, revealing two white elongated incisors. Understanding seeped into my brain as the wound closed completely, the glazed look in his eyes leaving at the same pace. He rose to his feet in one fluid motion and growled at the girl. The girl mimicked him. They were all most definitely psychotic.

"Henry, Danielle, enough." A voice with a slight accent filled the room, echoing of the walls. I scowled at the familiarity of the voice. Why did he have to be here too?

We all looked up at the balcony where Mallah was currently leaning over the rail, his arms crossed over his chest. Both vampires stepped away from each other and gave a slight bow. Xavier gave a mock bow as I just stood there, the scowl still on my face.

"Raven," Mallah acknowledged me with a slight bow of his head. "Where's Rogue?" I asked, skipping all formality. He motioned behind him and in entered the main psychopath. "Raven," she greeted me in her own accented voice. She turned to the teen vampires and scowled.

"Well? Leave!"

Both tensed, a look of fear entering their eyes for the first time. They bowed to the two on the balcony then turned to me. "Miss Raven," they said in a terrified whisper, bowing to me. Waving them off they turn to Xavier. "Mister Xavier." Xavier ignored them even when they bowed to him as well. They quickly exited the room, leaving only the four of us.

Speaking of the four of us, what the hell was Xavier still doing here? For his own sake he bet- My thoughts were interrupted when Rogue spoke.

"We need you to keep an eye on Mike Raven. He seemed quite disturbed when he left yesterday."

"Thank you for enlightening me on my job. I was so lost without you," I stated sarcastically. Xavier laughed next to me, earning an eye roll from me and a glare from Mallah "Did you call me to tell me something I already knew?"

Mallah shook his head, this time the one speaking, "No. We need you and Xavier to find a man by the name of Jenson. He escaped from one of the younger vampires before he could kill him last week. Ever since then, he's been spreading lies around about us."

I suppressed a dry laugh at his final words. I grew serious as the name of my partner dawned on me. "Xavier and I? Why not just Xavier? Or just me? Both of us don't need to go," I said, furious.

Why did they have to put us together? Any other person I would have been fine. I think they're just trying to punish me.

"We're not discussing this now Raven, so I suggest you both go now. We got some information that he went into the forest earlier this morning. You should find him here," Mallah growls, his arms once more crossed over his chest.

There was a slight pressure on mind and then a mental image that I most definitely didn't conjure passed through my head. The image was of a small stream with several feet of sand and rocks on either side at the bottom of two small cliffs. Recognition overclouded my brain.

As the image faded away a new image came to mind. This one was of a man. He looked to be in his mid-twenties with short blonde hair, glazed brown eyes, and a crooked smile. He was pushed against a wall and wearing a slightly rumpled gray dress suit. Jenson I presume. The image faded within seconds.

I nodded once and walked out of the room without another word. Footsteps fell in step with mine. Xavier's presence and scent enveloped me. I scowled.

"Ready when you are partner," he said with a smug look on his face. His green eyes were alight with amusement.

I moved my hand to punch him, but my fist only met air. A chuckle sounded from behind me.

I walked out of the dark building and squinted slightly at the sunlight as I looked ahead. The gates were open, thankfully.

I took a deep breath and let the power envelop me. Once surrounded by it, I took off into a run. My dress pushed behind me, the wind blowing past my face, my body kicking into sensory overload. Moments later, Xavier caught up to me.

As we ran into the densely populated forest, the trees blocked out most of the light, enveloping us in shadows. We navigated through the forest towards our destination easily, our eyes quickly adjusting to the lack of light. "Go on first. I don't think he'll suspect you," Xavier said as the forest started to thin out. I nodded and ran faster. In seconds I came to a halt and burst through the final trees.

I intentionally landed on the ground with a thud and an ow. A shadow cast over me as I rubbed my back. I looked at up and smiled at my 'helper.' Idiot.

Standing before me was just who we were looking for. Jenson. He held out a hand, the same crooked smile I saw from the image earlier on his face. I placed my hand in his and let him pull me up. As I dusted myself off, I heard him ask, "Are you okay miss? You hit the ground pretty hard." I gave Jenson a sheepish smile and moved the hair out of my face. "It was silly of me to run in the forest. I'm hurting a little, but I'll be fine." Jenson nodded, the smile still on his face, my hand still in his. I gave his hand a squeeze and he released it reluctantly. I cradled the hand to my chest and took a step forward. He in turn took a step forward. I placed my other hand on his arm and whispered, "You're such an idiot."

Jenson looked at me confused. I tightened my hold, earning a wince from the guy. His eyes widened as he saw the smile on my face drop and turn into a scowl, showing my fangs.

"Yo-you're o-one of th-them." I didn't bother answering him.

At that moment Xavier ran out of the trees and behind the man. He grabbed the human by the shoulders and pulled Jenson toward himself. "And now you're dead."

The man gave a scream as Xavier's incisors elongated and he bit into his neck. My hold on his arm weakened as I watched the man's eyes glaze over and the crooked smile return. Seconds later, Xavier pulled away, his mouth bloody. "Your turn." I pulled Jenson down and bit his neck on the other side. His body slowly relaxed as I drank from him. The sweet liquid coursed through my body, warming me up. I pulled away from him and licked my lips clean. Xavier gave sigh. "Just kill him." I let go of Jenson and watched him fall into Xavier. "Fine." Xavier once more bit the man, (_where I bit him of course_) draining him dry. The glow in Jenson's face slowly went out. Finally his body went completely limp, his eyes dull.

The man was dead.

Xavier let go of him, Jenson falling into a pile on the dirt. Xavier licked his mouth clean with a smirk. "You have blood on your dress." I looked down and indeed there were little droplets of blood on the right side of my dress. Blood that probably dripped off from the side that Xavier bit.

I looked back at him and glared. He shrugged and looked over his shoulder.

"We should get out of here before someone stumbles upon us."

He walked over to the ledge and jumped off. I walked over to the edge myself and watched as "my partner" jumped over the stream to the other side. He bent his knees and propelled his body through the air and up to the edge of the other cliff. He landed on the cliff opposite me. Xavier gave me a smirk and ran into the forest.

I took one final look at the body of Jenson and sighed. This life is not for me ran through my mind when I looked over at where I last saw Xavier. I extended a foot off the cliff and froze.

Five scents traveled with the slight breeze toward me. Five human scents.

"Dude!"

I slowly turned to meet the people behind. Crap.

* * *

Well I hope that you guys liked the story. I'll try to update the next chapter within the week but I make no solid promises. I'd appreciate if you review. :)

~Fred


	4. Friendly Help

Well I am SOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY for the really big delay. I have been kind of lazy to write the new chapter even if I had already finished half of the chapter months ago. But i will try to write more stories now that I have more free time.

_Reviews:_

**_half demon raven: _**Thank you for the review and I'm glad that you liked it. Hopefully you like this one too. And im glad that you thought it got more exciting.

_**JosephineX: **_Thanks for the review and I'm glad that you seem excited for the update. Hopefully this one makes you as excited. Thank you for thinking that it was AWESOME.

_**Nami Uchiha 1313: **_Thank you. I dont think that is, but still thankyou for that compliment. Don't worry I won't. I dont think I ever could if I wanted to since I find myself writing all the time even in class when I'm supposed to be paying attention. Tank you for the support.

_**i'm so hollow: **_Well sorry for the big wait. Thank you. Well I try my best. I know me too, but the story goes where it wants to. Sorry for the REALLY big delay this time.

_**SuperninjaX: **_Thank you and sorry for the wait.

_**Gingerstorm101:**_ It's cool. Thank you for taking the time out of your life to actually read my story. It makes me happy to know that. Sorry for the big wait.

_**MaxFangIggyNudgeGazzyAngel:**_ Dang. Had to make sure I got that right. Oh thank you. I wasn't trying to take it like that but thank you for comparing it to those books. I like them too though I do like Night World better. Sorry for the wait. And don't worry I will!

_**mysterygirl123:**_ I hope it will. Hope this to your expectations.

_**SuperninjaX: **_Once more sorry for the delay. YOu must really have wanted me to update of you came back to comment again.

_**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Teen Titans.

Well on to the story...

* * *

Despite my better judgment, my body turned to face my intruders.

I looked them all over quickly, nothing really retaining in my brain, that is until I saw _him_. As his features sunk into my brain, my attention was centered solely on him and him alone. The black hair framing his face, blue eyes that showed no emotion as they shifted from the body to me and back, his perfect mouth falling into a frown, his physique not quite hidden underneath his clothes, and the slight faltering in his step as if uncertain of which way to go, away from me or _toward me_?

My eyes slowly narrowed as my heart burst to life, slamming into my ribcage. As if I was nervous, or I was... I gulped as those blue eyes seemed to pierce my soul, trying to uncover my deepest secret.

He looked from me to the body of Jenson on the ground not a couple of feet from me. The man took one brave step forward, his perfect lips opening slightly as if to say something. He reached out his hand to me, palm up. His intentions were clear as daylight.

I was taken by surprise as my own hand twitched at my side, then rose up and over to his hand. Before I could grab his hand though, something shifted slightly under my feet.

No human would have sensed that, but with my more superior senses, I was able to pick up the slight shift. Unfortunately despite my awesome reflexes, my body froze as the earth shifted once more, this time more violently, so much that the man's lean body tensed. The earth shifted once more, knocking me to my knees. The next second I found myself falling down so that I reached his chest, his hips, his legs, and then, nothing but the cliff.

Out of nowhere, a hand thrust forward and grabbed mine, halting my fall. Warmth spread through my body at the contact, overriding the pain I was feeling at the abrupt stop. I looked up and saw that the man was leaning over the cliff, trying with some difficulty to lift me up. Other figures surrounded him, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. I reached up with my other arm and two of the figures grabbed it, pulling me up easier.

A low rumbling filled my ears that caused me to look down. Apparently the cliff couldn't handle a lot of weight because it was slowly giving way. I turned back to up to warn them, but the words stuck in my throat as the next moment, the cliff gave away.

The man and the other figures let go of me and slid along the cliff. I wasn't so lucky. The breaking of the cliff caused me to be propelled a little farther away. My body barely had time to move slightly to the left, my legs preparing for the shock of earth before my fall stopped.

The fall was shorter than I thought as my legs crashed into the earth. My whole body shook at the impact. My legs couldn't take the shock of my whole weight hitting the ground at whatever speed I was going at that I was falling forward onto my knees.

An anguished scream erupted from somewhere as sharp pieces of rock embedded themselves into my knees, tearing the flesh apart. It took me several moments to notice that the scream came from my own mouth.

I gritted my teeth against the pain as I was guided off my knees and onto a rock.

Wait, guided?

I looked up and saw that the blue eyed man was leaning over me, staring at my legs. Well, that explained the heat traveling through my upper body. The man rushed over to my knees and grabbed my leg in a surprisingly gentle hold.

"Victor," he called in a husky voice that sent a shiver through my body. His eyes never left my torn knees.

I couldn't help but smirk as he let out a low string of curse words.

My heart once more picked up as his gorgeous eyes turned their attention to my face. His breath hitched slightly as his eyes ran over my face from what I presumed was my mouth to my eyes.

He gave me a slight smile and said, "It's okay. We'll take care of this."

I knew that he was even a little unsure of his statement.

My attention was shifted from him as a looming figure leaned over me, blocking out the sunlight in my eyes. I turned toward the mass and watched as another man crouched next to me, immediately grabbing my leg. He prodded a piece of rock, moving it. Pain flitted through my body as the rock cut my flesh more. I hissed before I could even notice. The man I presumed was Victor frowned, apologizing to me lightly. Unsurprisingly, he had a deep, booming voice even in a whisper.

I finally decided to check out the damage. Apparently it was worse than I thought. My dress was torn in several places where the rocks undoubtedly pushed against it. The slabs of rock in my knees were pretty big, leaving a bloody mess around them. The blood slowly ran down my legs to group at the edge of my boots. The worst part was that my skin looked as if it healed around the rocks. Upon further inspection, I noticed that that was exactly what happened. A grimace came onto my face at the thought of pulling out the rocks. Well there is a downside to healing fast.

"It's going to hurt a lot to remove the rocks."

I focused back to the figures. They were obviously talking to each other. The blue eyed man nodded curtly, narrowing his eyes. I could practically see the wheels moving in his brain. "Pull them out." Both men turned to me, surprised. I gritted my teeth and said once more, "Pull them out." Victor opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted as the other said, "Just do it. The sooner the better."

Victor nodded and grabbed my leg again. He shot me an apologetic look as he hiked up the skirt of my dress a bit. I was too busy gritting my teeth, preparing myself for the pain to even bother replying. I lost my concentration though when Victor looked at the blue eyed man and said, "Alright then. Richard, grab her shoulders and don't let her move." Richard nodded and walked to stand behind me. He grabbed my shoulders a little tight, but not so much that it hurt me. I was so preoccupied by his close proximity that I screamed tore through me when a piece of the rock was pulled out of my knee fast. Both men tensed, looking at me concerned. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip hard, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the pain.

"Do you want me to continue?" I nodded my head.

I braced myself for the next flash of pain. This time when he pulled the rock out, I barely resisted the urge to scream. Instead my teeth just bit down onto my lip more. The sweet metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

I ignored it as I placed my hands on the rock next to me, bracing for the next hit. Victor squeezed my calf as he grabbed the edge of a slab and waited a second before pulling it out. My hands closed, crushing the rock into dust. My hands left an obvious path as they grabbed onto the rock harder as Victor moved onto my other knee. Lucky for me, there were only two pieces of rock in my knee.

Someone else came forward and wrapped my recently freed knee with a piece of cloth as Victor concentrated on my other leg. He studied my knee, trying to let me get over the pain.

I nodded at him, encouraging him to continue. Or at least trying to encourage him.

He apparently took the hint be because he moved into action. Victor moved quickly, pulling the pieces out of my knee in succession. My hands crushed the rock further as a new more painful wave hit me. My shoulders were squeezed a little tighter, a hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. My breathing slowly returned to normal as my body lulled into a sense of calmness. Victor moved over and let the other man wrap my other knee as well.

Finally satisfied that I was all bandaged he nodded to me. Or more accurately, to the person behind me. The hand on my back stopped moving and as one, everyone let go of me. I immediately missed the warmth. I mentally slapped myself for even thinking that.

The five men from earlier all stood in front of me, studying me. I pushed my dress back over my knees and moved to stand up.

"No!"

Several hands pushed me gently back onto the rock. I sighed, noticing that they weren't going to let me up, much less walk.

"Please, you were just hurt. You shouldn't be moving much," the man who bandaged my knees said. His voice was soothing, his face slightly concerned. I nodded, not bothering to fight him. Maybe if I just wait, they'll leave me.

"So what are we going to do now Richard?" The question came from the man who looked to be the youngest in the group. Despite the grim situation and the body they found earlier, his eyes still held some laughter. It then just hit me that he was the one who exclaimed his horror-surprise?-earlier.

The blue-eyed man, Richard, stared at me. I squirmed a little under his stare. I turned to look down river. It wasn't like I hadn't had other men stare at me like that before but there was just something about his stare that got my heart beating faster than what was normal for me and for heat to travel through my body.

"Not sure Garfield, but we obviously can't leave her here." Well that went that plan.

"Excuse me."

I turned back to the group of men in front of me. It was the red-head o the far left that spoke next as he looked on at me with a clouded look in his eyes and a slight cocky smile on his face. Immediately suspicion filled me at his smile. "Who exactly are you if you don't mind me asking?" Even his voice sounded cocky.

I raised an eyebrow and moved my hair out of my face.

"Raven."

"And what were you doing here in the forest all alone?"

I resisted the urge to glare at the man, and settled with a roll of my eyes.

"If I wanted you to know what I was doing here than I would have told you."

All the guys seemed surprised by my response. Apparently they, like every other guy that I met and saw my true personality, were surprised by my direct attitude.

"Sorry. But if we may know, what were you doing near that body?"

My body tensed slightly even though I knew that the question was eventually going to rear its head.

I cleared my throat, or was about to when someone else beat me to it. We all turned to the noise and for the first time ever I was actually happy to see Xavier. Okay maybe happy was the wrong word. More like….grateful. Ugh still a bad word.

Xavier looked from the group of men to me still sitting on the rock. His eyes scanned over my body, examining my torn dress, the worried looks on the men, and the bloody slabs not far from me. His mind worked out the situation in a matter of seconds, which surprised me to a new extent.

Xavier pushed through the men, his face turning to one of worry. He dropped down in front of me and grabbed my shoulders. "Dear, are you okay?" I wanted to slap him. His voice sounded too overboard. I nodded my head. Xavier looked down at my torn dress and the visible make shift bandages underneath. He knew as much as I did that my knees were already healed but there was no way that I could walk in front of these men.

"She fell from the cliff."

Xavier turned to look at Richard, who now had a frown on his face, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"What?" Xavier stood up and looked at me once more.

"She fell from the cliff. Her knees were pretty torn up. We were about to take her back to the town and see if they could do something for her."

His voice sounded more lethal. I wasn't the only one who noticed because the other guys gave him looks that ranged from surprise to astonishment.

Xavier nodded his head as he continued to look at me.

"That won't be necessary."

"Excuse me?"

Xavier smiled slightly as he reached down and surprised me by bringing me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders in surprise, a little squeak escaping me. I could feel Xavier shaking lightly with the laughter even as his face remained as if nothing happened.

"That won't be necessary. I am grateful that you helped her, but I can take my wife myself."

Richard's glare became more pronounced. "Wife? I don't see a ring on either of you."

Xavier shifted me in his arms.

"Okay, not wife. At least not yet. She's my fiancé. As for her ring, she left it at her house when we decid-why am I bothering to tell you this."

Xavier gave them all a look before walking over without another word. Richard moved forward but was stopped as Victor placed a hand on his shoulder. Richard looked at him before turning back to us. I blinked and said something that I never thought I would say to any.

"Thank you."

Xavier's grip grew tighter, but he just continued to walk, not saying a word to me.

I leaned my head on his and listened to the conversation going on behind me.

"Are we really going to just let him take her? How can we be sure that she is his fiancé?" I frowned. Richard sounded even angrier.

"Well she didn't seem like she was fighting him so maybe he was," said the soothing voice.

Richard let out a deep breath and turned as Victor's voice called his name. "Hey. Look at this rock." There was a moment of silence. "This doesn't make sense. Isn't this the rock she was sitting on?" Another moment of silence. "Don't these tracks look like fingers?" Silence and then a heavy sigh.

"Look I think we should go. If we don't arrive back soon, they will think we skipped town."

"Don't you mean you skipped town Richard," said the cocky voice. There was a throng of laughter as the moment was turned to a cheerful one.

I sighed myself and knew that Xavier had heard the same thing that I had.

After several minutes of walking along the river, Xavier turned around. Richard and his group were nowhere in sight. Xavier jumped over the river and up onto the other cliff.

He walked into the forest and let the trees surround us before dropping me to the ground. I let out an undignified grunt as I picked myself and dusted off my dress. I turned to glare at my so called partner.

"Where were you?" Xavier scoffed and crossed his arms. "Don't start with me. If it wasn't for me, they would have definitely found out what we are."

"Yes, because you left me with the body," I said through clenched teeth.

Xavier shrugged and turned away. The next moment he was gone in a burst of speed.

I looked through the throng of trees, still able to slightly hear the laughter of the men.

Another sigh escaped me. I closed my eyes for a moment and then followed Xavier.

I could feel the make shift bandages loosening and then fall from my knees.

As I felt the warm material leave my knees, exposing them to the cold air traveling through the holes in my dress, one thing came to me. It had barely dawned on me that I had down quite a bit of falling today..

* * *

Well once more sorry for the delay. Please review of you want to and I hope it lived up to your expectations and you liked. I will not promise anything but I will TRY REALLY HARD to update within the next two weeks. Until next time.

~Fred


	5. Uncharacteristic

Fred doesn't know how many times Fred has said Fred is sorry for not updating sooner but here goes another so please bear with Fred. SORRY!

_Reviews:_

**_SuperninjaX:_**You are welcome though Fred should be the one thanking you for reviewing her story. There is nothing to fear because Fred would never discontinue this story. Fred will see to that. And if Fred ever decided to discontinue the story (and that is a very low possibility, like almost none existent) Fred would tell all LONG before this.

**_Ohmega- ThEND:_**Thank you so much! Here goes the write more and Fred is glad that you are enjoying her story and the stuff that comes out of Fred's head. Sometimes Fred gets annoyed but when an idea comes to her Fred just have to write it and this one has been in her mind for quite some time. Fred has been a hardcore fan and nothing will ever change that! Ever! Fred is also happy to see there are others like her as well.

**_I'm home:_**Well sorry for not updating earlier. Fred is glad you are enjoying this story. It makes her happy and grinn-ish to know that you would do that. Hopefully you like this newest chapter and you would still feel like that. And thank you for the compliment. At least that makes one of us.

**_Gingerstorm101:_**Thank you. Here goes the update, sorry for it being late, but Fred is REALLY lazy and sometimes it is REALLY hard to beat it.

**_Disclamier:_** Don't own.

Well here goes the latest chapter. Enjoy...

* * *

I walked around the darkened room, the only lights coming from a window from high up in the room. It seemed endless, my boots leaving an eerie echo throughout the room.

I was already getting used to the feeling of being alone in the room when a noise from behind caught my attention. My heart surprisingly sprang to life, banging against my chest. I turned toward the noise but I could only see the darkness, even despite my superior eyes.

Another sound. Once more I turned to the noise but there was nothing there just like before. My heart pounded even louder. My hands shook a little. I was frightened.

A moment later, a bright light filled the room, blinding me for a moment. I placed a hand over my eyes as the light slowly died away. One good look around the room and I immediately recognized it. It was the torture chambers that Rogue loved so much.

A deep chuckle sounded throughout the room, once more startling me. This time when I turned around though, a person was standing behind me. Even though the room was shrouded in light, the figure was completely covered in shadows. From the body structure, I knew it was a guy.

The guy took a step closer to me, his body and the bottom half of his face shown in light. He had a slight smirk that transformed it lightly, making him look playful and a bit cocky. My heart picked up speed for some reason, heat traveling to my face. He gave another chuckle, this time deeper.

I opened my mouth to say something to the mysterious figure, but nothing came out. I tried once more, but like last time, no sound came out. The man chuckled once more before stepping forward and stopping inches from me. He was no longer shrouded in darkness. I took a step back in surprise which just caused the man to chuckle again. More heat traveled to my face as I looked over the perfect features of the guy. His perfect body underneath his gray dress suit, a lean face, mouth upturned into a smirk, the untidy black hair, and most importantly blue eyes shining with amusement. It was the guy from the other day in the forest, the one that had helped me.

_Richard_.

Richard reached a hand forward and placed it on my cheek. It was very warm as he lightly ran his thumb over it. A warm feeling filled my body. He moved his hand down to my chin slowly and then grasped it in a tight hold that was someway still gentle. He pulled my chin closer to him, his mouth stopping by my ear.

I could hear the smirk in his voice as he stated in a deeper voice then I had heard from him, "Hello beautiful."

He pulled back to look me in the face. The smirk was still present as he leaned closer to me, wrapping his arms around my neck and cocking his head flirtatiously. I stood frozen in horror as he leaned closer, our lips a couple of centimeters away from each other.

He looked me in the eyes as his mouth transformed into a gentle smile. I blushed even harder and despite myself, my lips turned into a smile as well, my body unfreezing. Richard's smile grew as he leaned into me. I didn't move as his lips pressed onto mine.

_CRASH!_

The scene before me vanished, replaced by the darkness of my own room. I looked around a little dazed.

It was all a dream.

I rubbed my hand over my forehead as I recalled the events of the dream. I shook my head as the dream kiss between us came to the front of my mind.

Even if it was only for a split second and unreal, my lips tingled for a moment. I hit my forehead with my closed fist, trying to get the feeling out of my head.

_CRASH!_

I jumped. I looked out the window as another flash of light filled my room. Rain splattered the windows and lighting struck the sky. I sighed as I got out of bed, turning on the light.

The familiar scene of my room was briefly replaced by the torture dungeon and the male figure. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the image.

I walked out of the room and into the kitchen, my body already preparing a cup of tea even without my mind being aware of it. By the time my brain had caught up with my actions, I was already sitting in my favorite armchair, the mug to my lips. Even as a creature that only needed blood to survive, the tea was calming to me.

Another sip went down my throat and then another. Several sips later, I knew that the tea wasn't having the calming affect like it normally did. I still couldn't get that feeling out my body, let alone my mind.

With a sigh, I placed the mug on the table and looked out of the window and into the rain soaked night. I watched the deserted street for several minutes, not sure what to do. A loud clap of thunder sounded and then a crack of lightning lit the room for several seconds before once more being engulfed by the darkness. The rain beat harder against the windows.

Another sigh escaped me. I reached for my mug once more as a feeling hit the back of my throat. I took a sip, trying to relieve it, but it didn't work. Just as I was brining the cup back up to my lips, I knew what the feeling was.

I placed the mug back down on the table it was previously on and sighed loudly to the empty room. The nauseating feeling was back once more.

I looked around the room, trying to distract myself from the feeling. The burning itching feeling I usually got when I needed to replenish once more. The feeling when I needed to drink blood.

Disgusted with myself, I moved over to the book shelf, grabbing a random book from it and returning to the armchair. I opened it and lost myself to the story within.

Unfortunately, my trance only lasted several minutes before the feeling doubled. I scratched at my throat, trying to ignore the feeling. As the minutes passed, the feeling grew and grew, not allowing me to ignore it.

Fed up with it, I slammed the book shut and threw it across the room. It landed with a soft thud on the floor.

I slumped in the chair for awhile, watching as the rain slowly grew fiercer, pounding even harder on the windows. The glass started to shudder against the weight.

I stood from the armchair and walked back to my room. I was in there long enough to change into a customary dress. I walked over to the front door, not bothering to grab a jacket or an umbrella.

I barely noticed the cold water falling all around me, as I walked out of the house, my destination unknown to me. I allowed my feet to carry me away, not really caring exactly where I was being led to. My mind for the first time in such a long time was empty of any and all thoughts. It felt good for once to not be thinking of anything at all.

"And where are you going all alone?"

I didn't pay any attention to voice, just ignored it and continued my lonely trudge.

"Quite rude of you to ignore him miss," called out another voice from somewhere.

Once more I couldn't bring myself to actually care for the words and so I just continued on with my walk.

"Hey!"

One moment I was walking fine and the next, several hands grabbed me from behind and dragged me with them.

I was so out of it that by the time I was actually aware of what was going on, I was in a darkened alleyway, completely soaked to the bone, with four men surrounding me. I looked at each of them bored, not caring for the situation at all.

"So what should we do with her then," the closest one to me asked with a scowl.

"We should have a little fun with her," said another one, stepping into the shadows. Like that was going to terrify me in some way.

"You should let me go," I drawled out bored and in no way in the mood for this at the moment.

The four men looked at each for a moment and then laughed. "Of course we are milady," one stated mockingly.

I turned to the person, looking him straight in the eye. "I'm more trouble than you could possibly know." My voice had reverted back to the monotone that I had often used with other vampires.

Once more the men laughed. "I sincerely doubt that," the final one spoke up.

I turned to him and said, "I warned you."

Out of the corner of my eye, one of the men moved forward, his arm in front of him.

I moved faster than any of them could see and clamped down on his wrist. I added pressure and felt as the bone underneath broke. The man let out a scream of pain. It echoed off the walls ominously. For a moment it felt as if I was in the torture chambers.

"David!"

I slammed my knee into the man's gut and felt as his ribs broke at the force. The man dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach, tears in his eyes. For good measure, I rammed my open palm into his head and watched as he slumped to the ground unconscious.

"David!"

I turned to the other three. In the blink of an eye, I had grabbed two of them by their heads and rammed them into each other. A sick crushing sound rang through my ears.

I turned to the last in group still conscious. He gave me a terrified look, taking a step back from me.

A monotonous chuckled escaped from me at his terror. Guess he wasn't as bad as he thought he was moments before.

I took a step toward him. The man gave out such a girly scream that it made me laugh. At least internally. He turned to run away, but fell back, falling to the ground as he found me in front of him once more.

I scooped down and grabbed his collar, picking him off the ground easily. His face drained of all color, his eyes wide with fear. I moved fast, slamming the back of his head into the alley wall. Blood filled my nostrils as the back of his head started to bleed. My stomach growled at the smell, the feeling in my throat multiplying.

I pulled him away from the wall and craned his head back. I pulled the collar away from his neck and moved forward. My body craved the blood that was pumping underneath. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth, my fangs elongating of their own accord. His pulse quickened as I pressed my fangs to his neck. The next moment the fangs pierced through the skin, the sweet tangy feeling traveling down my throat, the funny feeling in my throat slowly subsiding. I briefly closed my eyes, as my stomach slowly started to fill up.

"What?" The word was barely a whisper, but I heard it perfectly as if it was stated right next to my ear.

My eyes opened, my fangs retracting. I pulled away from the man's neck and turned to where the whisper came from. My blood ran cold as I saw the figure at the end of the alleyway. A figure that I knew. It was one of the men that had helped me on the cliff, the one that seemed to have captured my attention so easily, the one that I had recently had a dream about.

_Richard_.

The name ran through my mind, as if it never left.

His blue eyes were wide, his face paler than the last time I had seen it. His mouth was slightly open as if he wanted to say something. He took a hesitant step away from me. Then another.

I narrowed my eyes as I knew what I had to do. No matter what I wanted, I needed to end him before he spread exactly what he saw.

He turned to run and that was all I needed. The next moment he stepped back as I stopped in front of him. He turned to run back down the alleyway, but I wrapped my hand around his neck.

Cutting off his circulation and stopping his movements, I dragged him away from the lights of the village and into the darkness of the alleyway.

I slammed him into the wall. He flinched slightly at the pain, his hands trying without success to remove mine. I looked into his eyes and saw understanding slowly fill them. He knew how this was going to end.

"You shouldn't have come here," I whispered.

Richard took a deep as breath as he could. He opened his mouth to say something but must have thought differently. He gave a big sigh as he fell limp in my arms, closing his eyes. I frowned.

"You aren't going to fight back?"

A sharp jolt of pain went through my body as he opened his eyes to look at me. They were clouded over not in fear like I was used to, but with acceptance.

"Why should I?"

I felt against my hand as he tried to clear his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. A heat coursed through my body, a heat that I didn't feel comfortable with in the least bit.

"I saw what you did to those gentlemen over there," he continued on. Even his voice reverberated with the acceptance.

For some reason, a rush of cold coursed through my body as he pointed to the men still knocked out on the ground not that far from us. "You took down all of them without any hassle. I know I have no chance of escaping you."

I nodded my head, still stunned. Richard held his head up in pride.

"Are you really accepting this?" Despite my best efforts, my voice sounded shaky as it came out.

Apparently he wasn't expecting that, because he looked down at me in surprise. The surprise was quickly extinguished as he nodded his head as much as he could in my hold.

With my free hand, I moved the collar of his shirt to the side, getting a clear view of his pale neck. I moved forward, my fangs once more coming out at their own will as my body knew what was happening next. Richard shivered in my hand slightly as I placed my fangs on his throat, barely touching his skin.

"Kill me then."

For some reason unknown my body froze at his words. My hand started to shake a little as the seconds passed without either of us moving.

As those words played through my mind over and over, I knew one thing: I couldn't kill him. No matter how important it was that no one knew what we were or that we even existed or that I would get severely punished if the elders found out he knew, I knew without a doubt in my mind that I couldn't kill the man before.

Without even knowing it, my fangs retracted, my hand releasing his throat as I took a step back. Richard fell to the ground with a thud as he looked up at me in surprise. He stood from the ground, making sure to not lose sight of me. He hesitated for a moment before taking a step toward me. I took one back, making sure to keep the same distance between us.

"Why?" One question I knew I couldn't answer.

I shook my head and said in a voice that was as close to my normal one that I could muster at the moment, "You don't need to worry about it. Just know that I am letting you go."

Unable to see his confused face for much longer, I turned away from him, walking down the alley. Before I disappeared from his view though, I threw over my shoulder, "But I assure you, if you tell anyone about what you just saw, I won't hesitate to kill you then."

With those final words, I ran away from the man, my destination once more unknown, just letting myself run from the city as I thought over what had happened in the past minutes. One question seemed to penetrate and fill my mind completely.

_Why couldn't I kill him?_

Why couldn't I? He was just another human, another source of nourishment. He saw what I was and had to be killed. So why couldn't I dispose of him as I had disposed of many others before him?

By the time that I had come to my senses, I was in the place that I least wanted to be at, the vampire headquarters. Why had I come here of all places?

I turned to leave, not wanting to be there at the moment.

"Miss Raven, wait!" I let the power go as several of the lower vampires ran up to me nervously.

"What," I growled. I was internally happy to hear that I sounded almost back to normal, enough to make the vampires go pale. One brave soul swallowed his fear and said in a shaky voice, "Pl-please Miss R-Raven, M-Madame Rouge w-would like to s-see you."

I glared at the poor unfortunate vampire for delivering the message. He took a step back, and together with the others ran away from me and into the building.

I sighed as I looked up at the cloudy sky before walking into the building myself. Once inside, it hit me for the first time just how wet I was as I shivered lightly at the slight change of weather. I gladly accepted a towel that one of the vampires handed to me. I wrapped it around my body and made my way to the torture chambers once more.

I was slowly getting tired of that place.

Along the way, the vampires gave me the customary signs of respect, but I could clearly see the disapproval and the scowls that they tried to hide. I glared at of them, not in the least bit convinced of their fake courtesy.

"Back so soon?"

A growl escaped my mouth as I picked up my pace. "Not now you pest," I growled.

The pest chuckled as he walked into my view. He tried to grab my wrist but I sent a glare at him, making him stop. "Oh someone's not in the best of moods." I ignored him as usual. Unfortunately that was a little harder to do as he stepped in front of me and blocked the path. I looked up at him, my glare growing more menacing, but he just continued to smile at me.

"So what's the matter with you?"

"None of your business."

I tried to move around him, all of a sudden too tired to do anything else, but he wasn't budging.

"What, haven't eaten yet?"

"Yes, now move."

Xavier cocked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I growled through clenched teeth.

He smirked, "Then why is your stomach growling?"

Just at that moment, my stomach betrayed me by growling rather loudly. I huffed as I looked anywhere but at him.

"Okay so I haven't fed since this morning."

Xavier chuckled, but then fell silent.

"Then why do you smell like human? Even over the rain I could smell the stench of those despicable creatures."

_Shit._

"I didn't have a chance to change my clothes since this morning."

"Then why does it smell fresh if you haven't been in contact with humans for several hours now," he asked.

I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. "What the hell do you want Xavier," I almost yelled in a rare show of emotion as I turned to glare at him once more. The amusement and the smile were back on his face as he looked at me. He enjoyed my outburst a little too much. "Just wanted to tell you that Rouge and Mallah were looking for you," he stated, the smile slowly turning into a smirk as my anger spiked. "So you annoyed the hell out of me to tell me something I already knew," I growled. My hands clenched into fists.

Apparently my aura was giving off my dangerous feelings because the smirk fell from Xavier's face as he took a step back. Guess he wasn't as stupid as I thought. Several of the vampires turned to the pair of us before following Xavier's example and taking a step back from me even though they weren't particularly close to me.

Inside I was a little less angry at that. I would truly only be happy if I could leave this hell hole now.

"Yes," he nodded curtly. My eyes narrowed even more.

Xavier did one of his smartest moves as he stepped out of my way. I moved down the hallway, the doors to the torture chambers in sight.

"Not acting like a woman again," Xavier whispered into my ear and fled before I could do anything. Okay so he was still stupid.

I stopped in front of the doors, hearing several voices inside of the room. At that moment though I was only interested in two of the voices. Not caring what I was interrupting, I growled as I kicked open the doors to the torture chamber with so much force that the doors flew off their hinges and landed on the ground with a loud thud that seemed to echo around the room.

The five figures in the room turned to me as one, glaring. I ignored them, too much in a foul mood to care. I looked at the five figures. Three of them were of the highest order in the organization and the oldest. The elders. The other two were just the ones that I wanted to talk to at the moment. Or the two that wanted to talk to me.

I stalked into the room and asked, "What do you want?"

Rogue frowned at me before turning to the other figures. "We should finish this some other day." The others nodded, glaring at me as they exited the room. I glared back, not caring that I had undoubtedly pissed off the elders.

I turned as Mallah cleared his throat. "Do you know what you just interrupted Raven?"

"No and frankly I don't care. Just tell me why you wanted to see me and then I'll be gone."

"Very well then. We need you to tail Mike and make sure he doe-"

"No," I interrupted.

Rogue turned to me, a malicious look in her eyes. She stalked up to me and hissed, "Excuse me."

I cocked my head to the side and stated, not backing down, "No. That is not my job. My job is to kill traitors, not stalk them. We have other people for that, so get one of them to do it."

Before either Rouge or Mallah could say another word, I ran out of the room and the headquarters heading home. All I wanted at the moment was to curl up in my bed with a book and a mug of hot tea.

As my quaint house came into view, the one thing had never seemed to leave my mind came back to the front. The person that I had found out my secret, the person who I had tried to kill and failed, the person who could expose us all. _Richard_. With I sigh, I knew this night was going to be long and my foul mood was not going to extinguish anytime soon. I needed a hot cup of tea so badly right now. Maybe even the whole kettle.

* * *

Well there you have it. Fred's latest chapter. Fred would really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really appreciate if you all review her story and tell her what you think of the new chapter or old chapters. Fred is not particularly picky. Fred is going to stop making promises of when Fred would update because Fred gets lazy easily and then Fred doesn't want to do anything. But Fred will try her hardest to defeat it if it comes. And since Thanksgiving break is coming, maybe the update will be then. But until then, until next time.

~Fred :)


	6. Broken Resolve

Well here goes the next chapter. I know you guys are probably thinking _"Finally! What took you so long!"_ And once more Fred gives you the same excuses. Boredom, lazyness, school, writer's block, and so many other things that Fred is NOT proud of. Anyways, people dont usually read this anyways so on the reviews.

_Reviews:_

**_Winter Bells:_**Actually Fred's not doing this on purpose. Just that so many things go on in her mind and the next thing Fred knows, it's been like three months since Fred has updated. Fred will try to update faster next time. And truthfully, Fred does not have the story all wrapped up in her mind. She nows the general outline of it, but she still needs to fill everything else in.

_**TheMaskedShuppeteer: **_Well thank you for that. Fred is happy that you like her story. 1st point: That's awesome that Fred can change your mind about vampires. 2nd point: Sorry but Fred doesn't even know yet herself so we are both going to have to wait and see. 3rd point: Yea that is pretty odd. Fred would either do it this way or make them both vampires. 4th point: Here goes your update. Hope it is to your liking.

_**SuperninjaX: **_Awww, thank you.

_**Ohmega- ThEND: **_I dont know if Fred should say sorry for that or thank you so Fred will go with both. I'M SORRY AND THANK YOU!

**_Gingerstorm101:_**Nope. Fred is just a weirdo that way. She loves to be different :) Thank you.

**_I'm home: _**Why thank you. Fred did not even notice that until you told her. So thank you once more. Fred will try her best.

Well on to the story that you have all been waiting for...

* * *

The rain fell from the sky. It crackled momentary with lighting before once more fading to black. For a moment the house was illuminated, showing its plain design and blanking out the people inside. Then the light was gone once again, replaced by the never ending darkness. The only noise all around was the pitter patter of the rain hitting the many surfaces.

A sigh escaped as the figures in the house moved around, not in the least bit preoccupied with anything, but what was going on around them. My eyes followed the figure of a tall male with the most perfect blue eyes and black hair. He catered to each of his guests, the polite smile never leaving his face.

Another sigh and I was back in my rain soaked body, watching from a distance as the humans entertained themselves.

I watched in silence, my arms wrapped around my cloth covered knees as the figure smiled, conversing with a beautiful red headed girl with vibrant green eyes and an ever present bright smile. From the looks of things and the way that the big guy in the corner watched the pair of them, it was a marriage arrangement. Something clutched at my heart, filling me with a cold feeling I knew had nothing to do with the rain.

I couldn't help myself. Couldn't help but to watch him in his house as I had been doing since I let him live that day, since I found out where he lived two weeks ago. I watched from the rooftop of a building two streets from his house.

Apparently it was getting later than I had originally thought because his guests were all currently walking out of my view from the front window to the front door. The big guy opened the door and walked over to the carriage they had brought along, followed by a tall male and female, both with the same red hair. The red headed girl stayed by the host, still conversing. I couldn't make out a single word they said but I could still see the smile on both of their faces. I felt slightly jealous, knowing that she could make him smile like that. The big guy came back to the girl and held out an umbrella to her. She took it from him, turning as if to make her way to the carriage. She had barely taken a step when her hand was grabbed by their host and kissed. She beamed at him, a light blush adorning her face, walking over to the carriage.

Yet another older couple walked out of the house and smiled at the host. He in turn smiled as the woman gave him a brief hug and the man placed a hand on his shoulder. By the looks of the older couple and the familiarity they held with the host, I assumed they were his parents. The next moment they too were walking down the street, getting a small wave of goodbye from their son.

The host then waved goodbye to the carriage as it trotted down the street. Even after the carriage had turned a corner and no longer visible to him, he still waved. Finally after several more seconds he let his hand drop to his side and leaned against the doorframe.

My heart skipped a beat as the glow from inside of his house shone around him. The smile slowly fell from his face as he lightly touched the side of his neck. The side of his neck that I had almost bitten two weeks ago. He closed his eyes for a moment, turning to face the building across the street from him.

I slouched down for a moment then realized that he wouldn't be able to see me. There was no doubt in my mind that he couldn't see me. But just in case, I found myself moving away from edge, but not enough that I still couldn't see him.

He took a deep breath and walked back into his house, closing the door behind him. As he went back into living and seated himself in front of the big window, I placed my head on my knees.

What was wrong with me? I was obsessing over a human. I was watching over a human. I was interested in a human! Was I any different than Mike?

I grabbed my hair, ready to pull it out at any moment.

"Raven."

I jumped at the voice. A chuckle sounded right after, one that grated against my nerves, a chuckle I despised as much as its owner.

I looked over my shoulder and standing behind me, just as soaked, were Mallah and Xavier.

When had they gotten there? And, the better question, why hadn't I noticed them there?

I rose to my feet and watched as another person came into view from the shadows. Rogue.

"Good evening Raven," she greeted me with her ever present psychotic smile.

I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. "What are you all doing here?"

I really was curious to the matter. Mallah and Rogue hardly ever left their sanctuary. It must have been something big for them to leave the headquarters.

"We came to tell you that the time has finally come for his demise," Rogue said, the smile growing even more psychotic, if that even was possible.

I cocked my head, a little confused. I looked from the psychotic woman, to the glowering hulk of mass, to the smirking Xavier. There was only one reason for those two to come out and that was to inform of a death sentence. There was only reason why Xavier would be with them and that would mean that a job was set. It all clicked in seconds.

"So he finally snapped."

From the satisfaction in Rogue's eyes I knew I was correct.

I took a deep breath and turned to Xavier, my apparent partner for the night, much to my dismay. I wanted this to be over with quickly. There was no way that I was going to spend more time with Xavier than I needed to.

"Where is he?"

Xavier motioned me forward. I glared at him, not moving an inch. Xavier sighed at my reluctance. "Downtown, last time I checked. Not too far from your house if I'm not mistaken."

I nodded, turning away from them. "Well then let's get this over with already," I stated before running off the ledge and landing on the ground with a thud. Three more thuds followed me in seconds and the four of us ran through the rain, our destination my house.

As I ran, I let mind wonder to our job. So Mike had finally snapped. What a coincidence that I was just thinking about him one moment and the next I have to kill him.

Xavier moved to my side. He turned to me, a smile on his face.

"Are we doing it the same way?"

I turned a corner at a sharp turn and smirked as he slammed his shoulder into a building with little room to maneuver. Unfortunately it did no damage to him, only the building.

He scowled as he caught up to me once more.

"No. You just stay out of my way."

His scowl deepened at my response.

"Are you sure? He might be dangerous," he said as he followed me around another corner.

I scoffed. "I can take care of my-"

I stopped all of a sudden, my body feeling as if it was struck with lightning. A coughing fit filled my body as something hard slammed into my stomach. A fist to my face sent me flying. I landed with a grunt on the ground, several feet from where Xavier now stood smirking, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Are you sure you don't need help," he stated mockingly as I rolled to my feet, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth.

It took me a instant to sense where my attacker was. The next moment I grabbed the arm that shot out of nowhere and flipped the figure over my shoulder. There was a grunt as the figure hit the ground for not more than a second before rolling to its feet.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Guess you aren't going to make it hard to find you," Xavier smirked.

There was a growl somewhere behind me. I barely had a moment's notice to dodge the fist that was thrown my way. I moved off to the side, throwing a kick to the figure. I heard yet another grunt as my foot connected with something rather sturdy. There was a rather loud thump and then silence.

I strained my ears, trying to pick up noise other than the patter of the rain and Xavier's annoying chuckles. I narrowed my eyes, as the shadows seemed to move. He was trying to avoid all light in an attempt to gain a slight advantage. He was desperate.

I whipped around as something clanged behind me. I didn't see anything but the darkness. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, focusing on my power, trying to locate a presence other than Xavier. I sent out more power as nothing came up.

_There!_

I swiftly turned around, throwing a rather powerful fist in front of me. There was a rather disturbing cracking sound, and then a loud hiss of pain.

I ran forward, grabbing the figure's neck and slamming it into the wall behind us. There was another sickening crack as the figure's head slammed into the wall with how much force I put into the push.

Out of nowhere, there was a crack of lightning, lighting up the street for a split second. But that split second was all I needed to see a face I recognized, the face of our victim of the night.

Mike.

He had a scowl on his face, the blood seeping from his mouth being washed away by the rain that continued to pelt us. I tightened my grip on his neck as he tried to escape. He sputtered a moment as I cut off his air supply. I loosened my hold once more.

"Good job Raven."

I ignored Xavier as I focused all of my attention on Mike. His eyes held a hint of what looked like insanity, showing just how much he had gone through these past weeks.

I wasn't sure why, but a pang of guilt traveled through my body.

It all started because they had killed the woman he was in love with. And it was up to me to end it.

The hesitation I exhibited at the moment was all Mike needed.

I crouched over, letting go of his neck as he slammed his knee into my gut, breaking some ribs. I clenched my teeth as the bones slowly but assuredly healed back to normal, watching as he ran away, Xavier not doing anything to stop him.

A rather menacing growl escaped me. The guilt was no longer there. I was done being nice.

I stood to me feet and turned to where Mike retreated. I took off in a burst of power, easily catching up him.

I seemed to have taken him by surprise as I suddenly took a sharp turn in front of him, slamming my elbow toward him. He dodged off to the side, but my elbow still caught him in the shoulder, knocking him down.

Before he could get up, I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He gave a cry of pain, barely covering the sound as his shoulder loudly popped out of place.

I once more grabbed his neck, holding him up as much as I could which wasn't very much since he was only a couple of inches taller than me. The only part of his body that was touching the ground was his toes.

"You try that one more time, and I will rip you limp from limb and I will make sure that it is slow and painful," I said through clenched teeth.

Even with the patter of the rain, he was still able to hear me because the next thing he did was go limp in my hand.

A chuckle rang through my ears.

"What the hell do you think you were doing back there?"

Xavier gave a chuckle. "You told me not to interfere so I wasn't."

My hand instinctively tightened in irritation for the man. There were times when I just wanted to kill him as well. Especially in moments like this.

Mike gave a sputter as I crushed his windpipe. I loosened my hold once more as I focused my sole attention on the man in my hand.

"Why are you doing this Mickey," Xavier asked mockingly. Mike turned his crazed gaze to the speaker.

"Why? Because I can. I've lost everything dear to me so I have absolutely nothing to fear." He took a deep breath as he gave a weak laugh. As the seconds rolled around, the laugh gradually became louder, and if possible, even more maniacal. "All three of us know why you are here! I'm not afraid of you! I will gladly accept the warm embrace of death," he yelled over the pattering rain.

I could almost hear Xavier saying, _'Exterminate him Raven. He's practically asking for it.'_

"Are you losing your nerve now Raven," Mike asks mockingly.

Now I'm really, completely tired of him.

I let go of his neck. Before Mike could so much as twitch, I wrap my arms around his head, one on top of his head and the other underneath his chin as if cradling it. I clutch his head in a rather tight hold, but Mike doesn't show if he felt it or not.

Just as I'm about to twist his head, Mike looks at me and says, "Kill me then."

My brain shuts down completely before I could give my body the order to decapitate him. My body soon follows.

"_Kill me then." _

For a moment I'm thrown back into that alleyway, with my teeth pressed against _his_ neck. Me hesitating as he utters those exact same words.

My hands fall from around his head as I take a step back in horror.

"Wh-what?"

I don't even notice that my voice is just above a whisper, let alone that I just sputtered.

Mike cocks his head to the side, not even bothering to escape now. He gives me a confused look, before he breaks out into a psychotic smile, a smile that could rival Rogue's. He throws his head back, giving an even more psychotic laugh. He turns to me, his eyes alight with pleasure. "So you found one too!"

My body tenses even further at those words. I knew exactly what he was insinuating. He took a step closer. I took one back in surprise. Mike gives off another laugh, this time louder. "Who would have thought that you of all people would find one! _YOU!_" He takes another step closer, all the more amused as I take another back. "What happened Raven? I thought they were all scum!"

"Raven, what's he talking about?"

I swivel toward the voice. I had completely forgotten that Xavier was still there, watching our interaction. He no longer looked amused, just watched the both of us with a small frown.

"You mean she hasn't told you?"

I turn back around to face Mike, but his eyes are now boring into Xavier. "Of course she hasn't! It's Raven we are talking about!" He turns back to me.

A shiver runs down my spine. The crazy look in his eyes has returned full force.

"You do know that they will find out, they will kill him, no matter what you do! Then you will know!" He gives off a small laugh. "You and your _pet_. I wish I could see the day that all comes crashing down around you."

My eyes widen in fear. He was going to tell Xavier.

I rush forward and grabbed his head, twisting it off to the side and breaking his neck cleanly before he could utter another word. He falls to the ground, no longer moving.

A cold dread comes over me as I see the smile still on his face.

I take several steps back, jumping when something lands on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Xavier almost sounds sincere.

I shake my head, wrapping my arms around myself. All of a sudden I feel cold. I need to leave this place. Now.

"Raven, what was he talking about?"

I shake my head once more. The urge to leave has multiplied. I move out of his arm range. "Take care of this," I whisper before taking off.

I know exactly where my feet are taking me so I'm not surprised when I end up in the alleyway across the street from his house. I wrap my arms around myself even more tightly.

The lights in his house are still on, but I could not see his figure walking around the house. Maybe he was finally going to sleep. Something I should be doing myself.

I turn around, every intention in leaving. As I'm starting to let the power take me over, I hear someone clear their throat. It doesn't seem to register in brain until the words that are accompanied are uttered.

"Are you really going to leave after arriving not so long ago?"

My body tenses, the power leaving me. I look over my shoulder, my body tensing even more.

Because standing several feet away from me with his lips forming a small smile and completely soaked to the bone was none other than my current fascination. And the subject of my torment.

_Richard._

He takes a hesitant step toward me. When he sees that I don't move, he closes the distance between us in a couple of steps.

"Are you going to give me an answer?"

My mouth is completely dry, my throat forbidding any words from escaping past my lips.

Richard cocks his head to the side, pushing his damp black hair from his eyes.

I barely seem to notice as he grabs my wrist in a gentle hold and leads me toward his house. It takes me a moment to notice that is why my entire arm seemed as if it was on fire.

By the time I come to, I'm standing on his front porch, the awning protecting us both from the rain. Richard gives me a gentle smile as he pushes the hair that was previously stuck to my forehead behind my ear. My body betrays me by giving a rather deep blush, earning a deep chuckle from him.

He leans toward me, but stops as if unsure of how to continue. He moves back to his previous position.

"Look, I know I don't know you and you don't know me (_I internally scoff at that for some reason or another_), but could you at least come in? At least until the rain has stopped."

I nod before I know what I'm doing. The big smile he grants me has my heart hammering against my ribcage.

Richard opens the door, motioning me inside. I hesitate for a moment. _Why was he being so nice to me? He knows what I am and what I'm capable of, so what is he thinking? _

All my doubts evaporate as he places his palm on my back, encouraging me to enter the house. I look up at him. Pleasurable warmth travels through me at the smile he directs toward me. I look inside of his house.

It only takes a moment more for me come to a decision. I walk into his house, closely followed by him.

As he closes the door, I knew there was no turning back. And for some reason or another, I really don't seem to mind.

* * *

Well here goes the latest chapter. Fred knows it sucked but she hopes you at least like it in some way. As always Fred would very much appreciate it if sent a review her way to tell her how the story was or to favorite her baby, or alert it. Or not. Doesn't really matter.

~Fred


	7. In Home Visit

IT'S ALIVE! Fred is alive after so long a break and she is very sorry. Writer's block had hit her hard and this chapter was a pain in the butt to write. She doesn't like how this chapter came out, but hopefully you guys do. Sorry for the long wait but he goes the next chapter.

**_Disclaimer:_** Fred does not own Teen Titans or any of the characters. Just the story line.

And now onto the chapter.

* * *

I walked into the house, highly aware of the man following closely behind me.

Even though it wasn't proper for men and women to be alone in a room, let alone a house together, proper etiquette was the furthest thing from my mind. My guess was that it wasn't in his either. As Richard walked in front of me, a polite smile on his face, I was definitely sure that it was the furthest thing from my mind and I most definitely was not going to follow it right now.

"I'm sorry for the slight mess, I had guests earlier," he apologized as he walked me into the living room.

I looked around, arching an eyebrow. The living room was pretty spacious with two couches, several single seats to sit on sprinkled around the room, and several small tables. The room was brightened by the numerous candles lit around the room. The room itself wasn't exactly messy but it wasn't clean either. It had clear signs of being occupied. Off to the right was the big window that opened on to the street, the one that I was looking at him and his guests through earlier.

I turned back to the room, my eyes immediately locking with a few small bookcases filled to the brim with books. My feet made my way over to the closest one, examining the spines of the books with hesitant fingers. Some titles caught my attention immediately, making my curiosity spike. Without any direction from my brain that I was aware of, I pulled one of the books from the shelf, carefully skimming through the pages as if it was something valuable and precious. At least all books were like that for me.

"So you like to read?"

I swiveled around, dropping the book. Before it could hit the ground though, I snatched it up, cradling it to my chest.

I was so engrossed in the collection of books before me that I had forgotten that I wasn't alone.

"That was pretty neat," he said, an amused smile on his face. My quick reflexes must have really excited him.

I chose not to say anything as I placed the book back onto the shelf.

There was an uncomfortable silence between us. Now that I was face to face with him, I had no idea what to say to him.

He apparently assumed he would never see me again because I could hear him shifting from one foot to the other, placing his hands in his pockets and then pulling them out. By his movements, I assumed he was nervous, though I kind of understood why. He was alone with someone in his house, someone he knew next to nothing about. Even if I was a girl, I was pretty sure he remembered our last encounter and knew I could easily take him down. But then if he knew all of this, why did he invite me into his house in the first place? Wouldn't he have avoided all contact with me?

"So may I ask a question?"

I turned around to face him.

In the silence that ensued earlier, he had shed his jacket leaving him a plain white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and plain black vest. His hair was still wet from standing in the rain earlier. He had his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slightly slouched forward. He looked a little defensive, as if he was unsure of what was going to happen. In the back of my mind, I was mentally giving him praise for being somewhat aware of the danger that he was against.

"Go ahead," I asked, more unsure than anything else.

He gave a small chuckle, his lips upturned into a nervous smile. "I know this might be a stupid question and all and you have to in no way answer the question if you don't want to."

I cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, so please tell me. What exactly are you?"

My other eyebrow rose with it.

He had seen what I was capable of first hand as well as been on the receiving end of it and he still didn't know what I was? "It's not that I don't know," he quickly explained after seeing the look on my face. "I have a _feeling_ of what you are but I would like it if you yourself tell me what you are."

I was silent, digesting his words. Did he really want me to tell him? I figured he was telling the truth as his face slowly fell as I remained silent. His shoulders dropped forward further. My stomach gave a lurch for some reason.

"It's okay, I told that you didn't have to answ-"

"What if I do tell you and you end up using that against me," I suddenly interrupted.

He looked at me with an undistinguishable glint in his eyes for a moment before answering. "I would never do that," he said in such a serious tone that I felt I had no other option than to believe him.

I looked over my shoulder, looking out the window to the storm outside. Even knowing that he knew what I was, I still did not want to face that with him. For some odd reason or another, I felt as if I could trust him, but decades of not owning up to what I was stopped me. I bit my lip.

"Look, like I said earlier, you don't have to tell me," he said, moving away. I turned back to look at him, seeing him sit down on one of the couches, his hands still in his pockets. He leaned back, looking completely relaxed. It kind of threw me off. What was wrong with this guy? Does he not care what I am? What I could do? That I could kill him in one swoop? Obviously he didn't because the next moment he closed his eyes, breathing a sigh. Anger swelled within me. What the hell was wrong with this guy?!

A low growl escaped me. Richard's eyes opened at the sound, looking at me with a cocked eyebrow. I moved over to him, my hands clenched into fists. My anger was spiking with each second I was around him.

"What is wrong with you," I growled.

Richard cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean," he asked, a tone of confusion coating his words. My hands clenched tighter. "You know what I am and what I'm capable of, yet you pretend as if I'm like every other person, as if I am like you. What the hell is your problem?!"

Richard gave a slight smirk. "Did you notice that you just said hell," he asked, amusement in his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, I was standing in front him, clenching his shirt in my hands. I bared my teeth as he just stared back at me nonchalantly. My anger was spiking even more. Not even Xavier had gotten this kind of reaction from me and he was the biggest annoyance to have walked the earth. Apparently I was wrong, seeing as my mind was now currently thinking _he_ was the biggest annoyance to grace the earth with his presence.

"Will you stop acting so damn aloof and answer me?!"

Richard gave a small chuckle. "You're cursing again."

My hands clenched his shirt tighter. The next moment the smirk fell from his lips as he sighed. "I'm not scared of you. I know I don't know you at all but I have a feeling that you won't hurt me. Like you didn't hurt me that day in the alley."

My body froze. Who was this guy?

"Besides if you really wanted to hurt me, you would have already done it by now. It's not like you haven't had many opportunities to do it."

My hands slowly released his shirt, falling to my side. I took a step back and then another.

Richard straightened up, watching me with those piercing blue eyes as I slumped onto a couch.

He was right. I had so many opportunities to harm him, to kill him, yet I never took any of them. I never once hurt him.

I flinched as he lightly cupped my face, leaning over me slightly.

"Now that I've answered your question, will you answer mine? What are you?"

I looked away. He grabbed my chin, turning my head back so that I could look him straight in the face.

"Please."

"Should you really be doing this," I asked instead. It seemed to have thrown him off. "What?" "Should you be doing this? Being alone with a woman in your home without an escort for her when you have a fiancé?" This time he looked really shocked. "How do you know about that," he asked, gripping my chin tighter. I didn't really feel it. I shook my head, trying to get out of his hold, but he just held on tighter. "How do you know about that," he asked once more, the blue of his eyes like ice.

When I didn't answer, Richard just sighed, letting me go. He sat next me, not leaving much room between our legs. He pushed his head back, resting it on the back of the couch.

"Look, I'm not like that. I may not be the perfect example of etiquette but I would never do anything improper to anyone. I'm not like that," he said, almost as if he was trying to convince me of it. Like he needed me to know it.

I clasped my hands together in my lap, trying and failing to not be aware of the man next him. My head and my heart were in different sides though as my head was telling me to run while my heart was in complete swoon mode. At the moment though, it seemed my heart was in control of my body seeing as I couldn't seem to move no matter how much my head was screaming for me to do just that.

"Please believe me Raven."

My head quickly snapped to look at him at the use of her name. "What did you just call me?"

Richard looked at me. "Raven. At least, that's what you told us your name was in the forest that day. Or were you lying about that?" I looked away, shaking my head. My hair had once more fallen into my face. At least this time it wasn't sticking to my forehead.

"No. I was telling you the truth. Though I have to say that I'm surprised you remembered it."

"Why wouldn't I? I have to say you are someone that can't be forgotten so easily." I fought hard, but the blush seemed determined to humiliate me when it made its appearance across my face. I noticed Richard smiled as he spotted it.

"So do you believe that I'm not some barbarian," he asked. I sighed. Apparently, he wasn't letting that go.

"I believe you," I said in a tired voice.

Richard's face broke out into a cute grin that sent my heart racing. Apparently, this human was doing a lot more to me than I had originally thought possible.

"So will you finally tell me what you are?"

I turned to look at him.

"Are you really this stubborn," I asked.

Richard smirked at me. "You could say that. Or I'm just really curious."

"Curiosity killed the human," I drawled. I was taken by surprise as he gave a hearty laugh. "That may be so, but I'll willingly take death if it means being able to know a little more about you." I looked at him from the corner of my eyes.

"Why are you so curious about me?"

"Because you intrigue me greatly Raven. Ever since that day we met you in the forest, I couldn't get you out of my mind. No matter how hard I tried. You seem to have a permanent place there."

A warm feeling seeped into my stomach at his words, prompting a smile onto my face.

My happy mood was ruined as he asked once more, "So what are you?"

I heaved a sigh as I pushed off my knees and stood up. His smile dropped into a frown as he stood as well.

"Raven?"

"I shouldn't have come here," I said, walking toward the door. I was stopped as he latched onto my wrist.

"Please don't go. I'm sorry for asking so much."

"I thought you would have been okay with not knowing what I was," I asked him, looking over my shoulder at him. He gave a sheepish smile, "I'm usually good at controlling my curiosity, but when it comes to you, everything seems to have been thrown out of the window."

I heaved a sigh, pulling my wrist out of his hold. His frown returned as I opened the door and walked out back into the rain.

"Will I at least see you again?"

As I looked at him, something in me shifted, making me see him in a new light. I had a feeling I would ever regret getting involved with him in any way, shape, or form, but I didn't stop myself from saying, "You just might."

With that said, I turned away from him and ran into the rain, not bothered that he had witnessed another of my abilities. For some reason, I left his home feeling more confused than ever, but satisfied to some extent.

I suddenly stopped, looking up at the darkened sky. I was now completely soaked by the rain, but I didn't care. With no one in sight, I let a smile take over my features. Despite my earlier encounter with Mike, I felt as if my evening couldn't have gone better and it was all thanks to that human, to Richard. With a sigh, I continued on my way home, the smile not once leaving my face.

* * *

Well there goes the chapter and Fred hopes you all liked it. Fred knows it has been a long break since she has updated the story, but she hopes that review.

Reviews:

**_Latezz123:_**Thank you for the review. It makes me happy to hear that someone misses the story. I will try to finish it as fast as possible now that my writing juices are working once more.

**_Jenna912:_**Well thank you for those words. I'm glad to hear that you are happy with the update. Sorry for the extremely late update. I'm glad you liked that moment of Raven's.

**_Lila:_**Thank you. And I'm sorry for the late update.

**_ebo579:_ **Sorry for keeping your anxiety for so long. Hope you liked this chapter.

**_saberhawk:_**Fred is glad that saberhawk likes her story and finds it interesting. Well, we will just have to see what happens with that one.

**_I'm home:_**Thank you for your words. It makes me happy to see that you like how i portray them. I am sorry for the really, really, really, really late update. _  
_

**_Guest:_**Yeah I know he doesn't show in a lot of stories but it seemed kind of fitting to have him as Xavier's partner.

_**Guest:** _We will just have to wait and see.

_**theWanted123:** _Thank you. And sorry for the late update.

Well once more Fred hopes you all enjoyed the new chapter, no matter how much it sucked and was anticlimactic of an update after such a long time. Until next time.

~Fred


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